A Warning
by Rena Redhead
Summary: One Shot: Takes place between Titan Rising and Betrayal, Terra's been a member of the team for a while now and they've all adjusted. But will she listen to the only real warning about Slade from his former apprentice?


**Disclaimer:** Please, tell me you got me a very special birthday present even though it's not my birthday. What?!? You didn't? Okay, well in that case, I don't own Teen Titans. There you go.

**Author's Note:** I never thought that I'd end up writing something like this. Ever. But I did and I thought that I'd share it. It takes place between Titan Rising and Betrayal so Terra's now on the team and working undercover for Slade. I do want to say that I've never written Terra's character before and unfortunately, I haven't seen much of Season Two for a while. So Terra's character might be a bit OoC, but I honestly have tried really hard to get her character down. Also, my next Multi-Chapter story, "Custody" will be up tomorrow. So why don't I just let you read this and let you be the judge of it. Presenting: "A Warning"!

-T-

**A Warning**

Life at Titans Tower gradually adjusted for its residents with the additional member in their home, for the better. There were more laughs and more games and more fun things to do. The blond girl was welcome on all sides. Terra had made an impression on each member, at least to an extent. Starfire and Beast Boy were the first and most obviously affected.

Starfire loved being surrounded by friends, the more the better. On occasion, they would both stay up having the 'parties of slumber' as Starfire put. They'd giggle about the boys behind their backs and Terra finally learned how to not break a bone when Starfire attempted to give a bone crushing hug. Beast Boy developed a crush on Terra, which was obvious to everyone even while they were sleeping.

But they weren't the only ones who made friends. Cyborg learned that Terra had a wicked way with the game station controls. Raven was still reserved with Terra, but yet she would allow for a smile to slip here and there. Robin, well, he wasn't always around anyway, but they practiced in the gym at times and came to respect each other as team mates.

Team mates. Friends. That's what they all were. Individually, they were different, but each brought different elements to the team. And they needed it for when they went up against all of their enemies. Slade, in particular.

"This is ridiculous," Cyborg said.

"How many times must this villain elude us?"

Raven sighed, "As many as he feels like, apparently."

"That's not good enough," came a gruff reply.

Robin had his face practically at the screen of the monitor. He'd been taking these... getaways of Slade's particularly hard. Maybe it was because he thought that he had more information and it should have been easier, but it was hard to face the fact that it was only getting harder. It was like Slade had tabs on all of them, knowing exactly how to outsmart them.

"This is getting old," Terra said immediately, "Let's just go find him and kick his butt. Then come back for pizza."

"Don't you think we've tried that?"

"Hey Rob, no need to be nasty," Beast Boy piped in.

"Sorry," Robin turned to the others, "Terra, his evidence has been disappearing faster these days. He's learning to handle himself better. He doesn't want to be found this time."

"This time?"

"He's lured us before," was all he said.

She'd been told last night to start talking more during these conversations, to see how they'd react to her comments. Not like it was a problem, she just was bored a bit by it since she knew both sides of the coin anyhow.

"Do you even know his motives? Let's try starting with that," Terra suggested.

Robin's glare didn't seem friendly. Detective. Probably...

"Already tried that lead. He's got a new one. Not sure what it is," Robin stated.

"What about his sanity? Maybe he's just lost his mind," Terra suggested.

"He's sane," Raven stated.

Robin finished, "to an extent."

"Terra, we've tried everything that you've suggested. I mean, not that it's not helpful, but you know, what could be new?" Cyborg asked.

"Slade is indeed frustrating," Starfire said, walking over to the console and leaning against it, "His motives as to why he hates this city are indeed hard to understand. Why would anyone want to destroy such a happy and wonderful..."

"Place with video games and tofu waffles and beaches and babes..." Beast Boy finished.

Terra laughed, "Are you sure that he's sane? By the sounds of it and from how he acts, he might as well be insane."

The group laughed, Robin and Raven silent, "I mean, come on, he probably thinks that he's doing the world a load of good."

More laughter. Even Raven smiled a bit. But still a silent Robin.

"You're probably right, girl," Cyborg said.

"I mean come on," Terra continued, " 'I think that being a dictator makes everything better. I'm just doing my part to help...' "

"ENOUGH!"

The group turned and stared at Robin who was by all accounts, furious. His muscles were tight and his jaw was shut, his eyes thinned, and his cape was covering his shoulders allowing for an odd shadow to overcome him. He walked pass the rest and right up to Terra's face.

"If you think for a second that Slade's something to laugh about... Get. Out."

"Robin..." Beast Boy started.

"He's a psycopath. He's burned parts of this city to the ground. Stolen! Causes property damage. Influences the delinquency of minors by supplying the H.I.V.E. He pays no heed to the innocent lives he might have to trample! He's tried to destroy our home! And worse of all..."

Terra was by this point cowering as she saw something that she had never seen in Robin before. His fury. It reminded her of Slade's. But thankfully for her, Robin seemed unable to finish his sentence, lost to something else that was encasing his mind. Starfire went up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder and Robin relaxed a bit.

"Robin?" she asked softly.

"Let's just..." He didn't want to talk much now, didn't feel like it.

"Go to bed?" Cyborg offered.

"Yeah."

They dispersed. Raven put a hand on his shoulder too before parting, giving him the 'it's alright, we don't blame you' look. Beast Boy gave Terra a look and they headed to the hallway.

Raven and Cyborg went the opposite way muttering something about 'That was a bit unexpected.' 'How so...?'

Starfire remained behind with Robin for the moment. Terra glanced over her shoulder watching Starfire and Robin before the door shut behind them.

"What'd I do?" She asked, still a bit confused.

"Huh?" Beast Boy asked, "Oh, well, Robbie's just got it in for Slade, you know."

"I know that, but that was like," She shuddered a bit, "Creepy, nasty stuff. I didn't think he'd freak out like that. Besides, Slade's a big problem, we all know that, but still, why can't we just have a laugh about it now and then?"

Beast Boy searched for the words to describe why. "I guess, well, the rest of us can, but Robin's just... different like that. I mean, you know, he grew up in Gotham and he takes stuff like Slade seriously... probably too seriously, but you know..."

"No, I don't know," Terra answered, "It doesn't give him the excuse and I didn't see you sticking up for me."

Beast Boy look down at his feet and bit his lip. Robin had never wanted to talk about it before with them and so he could only guess that Robin didn't want to have it mentioned to anyone what they had gone through with Slade. If Robin wanted Terra to know, that was his decision, right?

"He's got... some slack in that area, from all of us," Beast Boy finally answered.

"So Slade's a jerk to us and just he gets that privilege? What about me? Slade's been nasty to me before. Remember when... you know, I went all berserk when I was fighting Slade and everything?"

"Terra, it's just different, okay? If you want to know why, ask Robin," He sounded sad that he couldn't quite explain it to her and she understood that.

She grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze, "Alright, I get it, no need to sound so sad about it."

Beast Boy looked up at her and smiled, "Race you back to the end of the hallway."

"You're on, but no cheetahs!" She yelled and they were off in a run.

Back in the main room Starfire gave Robin a soft hug, "Are you going to be okay?"

"Yeah, I just..." He sighed as they came out of the hug, "I shouldn't have lost my temper like that on her. She doesn't know."

"Do you wish to tell her?" Starfire asked.

"I... I don't know. I mean, I barely talk about it with you guys. I hated being Slade's..." Robin paused for a second and let it out in a whisper the last word -- "Apprentice."

"It is nothing to be ashamed of, Robin, considering the circumstances," Starfire told him.

Robin looked out the window, "I just wish she'd take Slade more seriously. He's got to be stopped. I hate to think that he's still out there and that he could be plotting his next attack or manipulating someone else... You know, I'm really surprised that she's not taking him seriously after what he did to the tower and what happened at the mine."

"I think she sees the Titans as a group of friends, Robin. She is not one to work as hard as you might. Beast Boy is not innocent of making fun of Slade," Starfire commented.

"Yeah, but he knows, deep down, he knows," Robin told her, "I just don't sense that in her."

"Do you think that telling her will make her understand better?" Starfire asked.

"Maybe... but I hope I just don't even have to bring it up."

"Perhaps not, and it is not a big deal if you do not anyway," Starfire commented.

Robin smiled lightly, "Yeah, I guess. Are you going to go to bed?"

Star smiled, "I suppose so, and you?"

"Yeah," Robin said, but Star looked at him, her eyebrow raised in speculation, "Okay, I won't stay up late. Promise."

"Promise?"

"Yes."

Starfire smiled and gave him a hug before heading in the opposite direction for her room to get a good night's rest.

-T-

The night passed without a disturbance for at least four of the Titans. Robin had trouble getting to sleep that night and Terra didn't fall asleep sleep till after two.

"So, what's the latest verdict?"

"Well, Robin's a sour-face and the rest of the Titans have a sense of humor. Not much," Terra told him.

"What did you do?"

"Just made a couple jokes about you." Slade raised a brow at her. She continued, "I just made fun and tried to liven it up a bit by saying you were probably insane anyway."

Slade seemed to suppress an annoyed sigh, "Thanks, Terra."

Terra looked at him with an exasperated face, "Are you going to be sour, too?"

"No, but... Robin didn't react along with the rest?"

"No, I even got Raven to smile, but then Robin lashed out at me and..."

"Lashed out?"

"He started yelling at me and telling me you weren't a topic to be joked about. He looked furious, like someone had lit a rocket in his system or something...Yeesh, they call him the protege of Batman and they're right." Terra said.

Slade leaned back in his chair and sighed. So his last apprentice had erupted earlier. It was one thing that he had failed to tell Terra. He had had a previous apprentice and she just happened to be calling him her leader to help Slade with his plans. Was it wise to tell her? She'd find out sooner or later... And then he would have more... precise and reasonable answers.

"Don't push him, Terra, you don't know the potential that Robin has," he answered.

"Huh?" she questioned.

"Trust me on that Terra. You're not ready to take him on yet. He's got the advantage at the moment," Slade told her closing the matter.

But she didn't want to close it. "So why are you and Robin like totally against each other?"

"It's complicated Terra, but you don't have to worry about it."

"Fine," she said blowing some of her hair out of her face.

The rest of the night was the usual and then they said 'goodbye' so that she could get her sleep. She didn't feel like she was doing anything bad and the ironic thing was that she didn't see much harm in working with Slade. He was, well, helping her, too. No big deal. She just wished he would tell her just what was going on. Morning came and the usual happened. They trained, had breakfast, played video games till their fingers were sore. No big deal, right? Yeah. It wasn't a big deal. A criminal here to stop, a pizza break. Normal day. Evening came and so did their usual movie for the night.

"Yo, Terra, can you get Robin out of the evidence room so we can start the movie?" Cyborg called.

"Sure, Cy," Terra answered.

She ran to the evidence room and knocked.

"Come in," Robin answered from the other side of the door.

Terra stepped inside and looked around. She had never been in here before, "Wow."

"You came to get me for the movie tonight?" Robin called from around the corner.

"Oh, uh, yeah, I did," Terra answered, following the sound of his voice.

When she found him, he was staring at a bunch of files on a table and hanging on the wall, small bits of things that were from Slade that she recognized. She had heard Beast Boy once say that Robin's room was like a shrine to Slade. She didn't really care to know what Robin's room looked like anymore. But Slade's words from last night came to her head again and so she walked up to Robin.

"Hey, um, I'm sorry about what I said the other night. Didn't mean to make you mad," she said.

"Oh, yeah, um, thanks, but I shouldn't have lashed out like that. I'm sorry for that too," he said, "I just, sort of lost it. Sorry."

"It's alright, I just was surprised, that's all. I wouldn't have done it if I thought that you would have gotten mad," Terra told him.

'She's a good friend to have,' he thought as he gave her a smile.

"I'll be out in a moment, I just have to clean up," he said.

"It's fine. So what is this area, something 'Slade' devoted?"

"Not 'devoted', just where I put the evidence we get on him," Robin said.

Terra walked around looking at most of the things behind the glass casings. One object, one big enough to be even a bit taller than her wasn't visible. It was surrounded by a curtain. A cord hung from the side. Terra tilted her head. What was this a mini-Sladebot or something.

"Almost done..."

Curiosity killed the cat, "Hey, what is this thing?"

Even as he said it, he was too late, "No, don't..."

She pulled the cord and immediately the curtains flung open to reveal a black, orange, and silver suit. To Robin's surprise, Terra started to giggle.

"What is this? You turned him into a teenager or something once?" she laughed.

"No." Robin's tone grew serious once again as he moved to bring the curtains back.

"Huh? What is it then?" She looked at Robin who stopped at her question. She looked back at the suit and then at him. It looked like just the right size...

Robin swallowed, "It was made for me."

Terra looked at him, "What do you mean 'It was made for me'? Did you wear it?"

"Yes, alright. It's not something I'm proud of." He pushed past her and closed the curtains.

"Why'd you wear it?"

"It wasn't my choice."

"Mind control or something?"

"No!"

"Then what?" Terra asked him.

"He, he... I was obsessed; he lured me to his haunt and infected the others with these probes that were deadly. I had to work for him or he would have killed them...He made me his apprentice..." Robin trailed off.

Terra's eyes widened, in a way that she couldn't stop. He had had another apprentice? And it had been Robin? Why hadn't he told her? What had happened? Is this why the rest of the Titans gave Robin leeway in this subject area? For a moment, she felt a sting, a pang of distrust.

"I guess I'm still obsessed with bringing him down," Robin said bringing her out of her thoughts.

"More than ever by the sounds of it," Terra commented as she took a seat at the table, maybe he did trust her.

Robin was quiet. "It's so... weird to think about it. There was so much that I hated about it. I hated listening to him. I hated wearing that stupid suit. I just... He was so unpredictable. One moment he was the most evil being on the planet and another, he was practically human. But controlling, always like that."

Terra nodded, but thought about what she was hearing. He said that he hated it, but that sounded... logical, no one likes to be controlled, "Sounds tough. What'd he do?"

"Tried to train me, physically and physiologically. He'd make me fight and work me till I practically passed out. When I was awake and not doing anything, he'd counter anything and everything he said that opposed him. It was like playing a mental battle of chess," Robin said, as though going into a trance as he spoke.

He snapped out of it, "It's how I learned some of his strong points. You just can't listen to what he says. And you have to bring the fight to him if tries to make you fight other opponents."

Terra was silent. She didn't really know what to say to that. She tried to see if what Robin was saying resembled what Slade was doing now. He wasn't hurting her or causing anyone any real harm at the moment. It didn't sound like the same person. But at the same time, it sounded like a familiar memory.

"You okay, Terra?" Robin asked, finally noticing his teammate's demeanor.

"Huh? Oh, yeah," Terra answered.

"Do you want to go watch the movie now?" Robin questioned.

"Um, yeah, sure," she said.

As they headed for the doorway, Terra looked around at the curtained case. It seemed so cold.

"Robin?"

Robin turned to face her, "Yeah?"

"What would, how do you think you could tell if he was using any of those methods when he fights you?"

Robin shrugged, "You just have to take a step back and think about it, I guess. Look, I'm sorry if I bothered you in telling you that."

"Oh, no," Terra said immediately, "I'm glad you did. I guess I'll take Slade a bit more seriously."

Robin smiled a bit and nodded, "Glad to hear it. Movie time?"

Terra smiled, "You know it."

They both ran down the corridors, but Terra lingered behind Robin and it wasn't just because he was faster. It was a lot to take in. The movie started, but she didn't focus on it. She wanted to convince herself that what Slade was doing now was different than what he did when Robin was his apprentice. After the movie was over, she went to bed. This time, it had to be different. She wasn't a puppet. She wasn't being controlled. Slade had practically made her his partner in crime, not just his apprentice, right?

Right.

Yeah, it was different. And what happened to Robin, that whole 'control' thing, it wasn't going to happen. It just wasn't. It couldn't. She had felt more secure with her powers than ever before. For that switch in control to occur, it would be devastating. Slade wouldn't do that. He trusted her. But then, the Titans trusted her. They all did. Could she really confide in anybody since that trust would be lost one way or another? What happened when it did?

She didn't know. But whatever would happen, would happen.

Man, was that hard to swallow.

-T-

**A/N:** So how was it? I hope that was okay. The two apprentices have a quick chat and Terra gets her warning about Slade and what he does. Terra's hard for me to write, I've learned. I have two versions of her in my mind: the TV series version and the New Teen Titans Judas Contract version of her. So I always have to remind myself to separate the two. Please review and let me know what you think! Thanks for reading! Later!

Rena


End file.
